Roadway inspecting means



Dec. 22, 1931. Y SPERRY 1,837,633

ROADWAY INSPECTING. MEANS Filed Oct. 12, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ar a/ x00 INVENTOR I ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 22', 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMEIB A. SPERRY, OF BROOKLYN. NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, IO SPERBY PRODUCTS, INC OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK noanwax msrnc'rme mums Applieatl on flled'oetober 12, 1928. Serial No. 812,019,

This invention relates to roadway inspecting means and has for its principal object the provision of improved means for determining and indicatin differences in elevation between the trac and differences in elevation along each track. The latter mechanism will, of course, include means for determining Iow rail joints since this forms one of theprincipal differences in level in any track, but in addition this mechanism will also indicate depressions or elevations in any, form of roadway ortrack due to failure of the supporting medium or to unequal yielding of ls said medium under load.

It is a further object of this invention to provide recording means which may be adjusted to move in any desired ratio to the actual differences in elevation.

Other objects of this invention moreor less broad than those stated above will be'pointed out or will become apparent in the following device.

detailed description of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings: 1

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a railroad car equip d with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a portion of a flexible cable drive. 1 1

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the Fig. 1

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail showing a means for preventing the indicator operating cables from enga 'ng the spring mechanism of the car trucii i Fig. 5 is a rear elevationof a portion of the indicating mechanism within the car with a modified pen-operating linkage.

Fig. 6 is an' enlarged detail of the actuat ing bar employed in Fig. 5. I

'Fig. 7 is a side elevatlon of the cables for actuating an indicator.

Fig. 8 is an elevation of the means for recording differences in elevation longitudinally along the roadway or track.

Fig. 9 is a view of a port'jon of a rail level record.

While my invention is describedherein after principally in connection withthe tracks of a railroad, it should be understood that this is merely illustrative. of the uses to which the invention may be put, but the- 1 1314 in the usual manner, said journal boxes being slidable vertically with respect to the car truck. Said, vertical sliding movement is utilized herein for the purpose of indi- I -catin .difierences in elevation in ,a' track. For t s purpose I may fasten to said journal boxes a beam 15 having one end 16 proj ecting beyond the axle centers to a predetermined distance. Thus, when a low rail joint or low stretch of track or road-bed is encoun 'tered, the forward journal box 14 will dro' with respect to the rear ournal box '13 an this movement will be taken up by them:-

tended arm 16. For obtaining 'anfindication ,ofthe movement of one journal box with respect to the other I prefer to employ a pair-of wires 20, 21 connected to beam 15 at spaced points, andI utilize the difierentialmovements of the two wires with reference nded car-body toimpart movement to an said wires to said beam are such that the differential movements of said wires may bear any desired relation to the actual differences in elevation in a track.- For this purpose I cause oneof said wires, such as 20, to be anchored to one end 24 ofa rocker 19 piv- .otally mounted on one end ofa bar or lever- 30, and the other wire 21 to be connected through a yielding connection" 25 to a point 26 on said rocker m vertical alignment with the point 24 to which wire 20 is connected. Upon encounterin a low railjoint or a low to a baseline, in this 'cas e, the spring-sue:

indicator pen. The points of connection of Y or high portion-o -the-track,'it'will be seen that wires 20 and 21'willpull unequally upon 1 the end of bar or lever 30, owing tothesprm'g connection of one of said wires, and the rela-.

to impart movement to an inner wire 31 fixed to wire b bracket 27 and moving through the outer owden sheath 32 fixed to wireby bracket 28. Said wire 31 is connected to a pen P to be described more full hereinafter. I may provide a sheath 40 a jacent the spring sections S of the car truck to revent the wire 21 from striking said springs during turning movements when the wire would ordinarily take up positions such as those shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

At the other side of the truck there is a similar arrangement to that hereinbefore described with a second wire 31' being caused to actuate a second pen P" in juxtaposition to said first pen P as will be described more fully hereinafter.

Said pens P and P are carried by a penholder 100 adapted to be reciprocated laterally with respect to chart C within guides 101, 102 by a cam 103 pivoted at 104 adapted to be constantly driven from the car wheels by means including a flexible cable 105 and gearing 106, 1'07.- The constant rotation of said cam causes said pen-holder to be oscillated back and forth across the chart C which is likewise constantly driven linearly so that there is formed a zig-zag path down said chart which gives a magnified indication relative to the actual length of rail traversed. If'no low or high spots are encoun-.

tered, wires 31 and 31 will not be actuated and said pens will,- therefore, describe a zigzag path comprising straight, inclined llnes. If, however, a high or low portion of the rail is encountered, wire 31 or wire 31 or perhaps both, if both rails are out of level, w1ll be actuated with corresponding actuation of the pens longitudinally with respect to chart C within longitudinal slots 50, 50 formed in the pen-holder 100, and against the restoring action of springs 51, so that the 1nclined lines will no longer be straight but will be curved upwardly or downwardly as shown at a and b in Fig. 9. A sharp break, such as 0, in the line indicates a rail joint while a gradual curve upwardly or downwardly indicates a depression or elevation in the respective track other than the rail joint.

I may utilize a portion of the same mechanism hereinbefore described for indicating differences in elevation between the tracks, or the different sides of a road-bed, for if there are difierences in elevation between the tracks or sides, cables 20 and 21 as a unit at 'one side and the cables 20' and 21' as a unit at the other side are actuated (the cables 31 and 31' may also be actuated at the same time if there are elevations or depressions in each track as well as differences of elevation be tween the tracks) to cause a rocking move ment of the lever 30. Said lever may be pivoted upon a sleeve 60 slidable upon a, fixed post 61, said sleeve being normally placed under tension by a plurality of resilient bands in a slide 67 within a member 68 that is mounted for parallel movement laterally, that is, to the right or left whenever arm 30 is rocked about the pivot 59. Said parallel mounting may comprise a plurality of links 7 07 1 pivoted at one endon the fixed support and at the other end to said member 68, said member 68 being held in osition by means such as an arm 73 pivoted at 74. upon a link 75 mounted on a fixed bracket 76. Rocking of lever 30 about ivot 59 will cause lateral movement of mem er 68 to rock a lever about a pivot 81 which is held in fixed stabilized position through a gyroscope G connected to said lever 80 at 81 by a link 85. Such rocking movement of lever 80 about pivot 81 will operate a pen P across a record chart C. It will be seen that only dif-' ferences in elevation between the tracks will rock lever 30 about pivot 59, for if both tracks rise or fall to the same degree no rocking of lever 30 about pivot 59 willtake place, and hence there will be no actuation of pen P, although in such a case the wires 31 and 31 would be actuated to cause pens P and P" 120 indicate high spots in the respective trac s.

The drive for chart C and the cam103may gear 107.

The object of the gyro G is to prevent any rocking motions of the spring-supported car- "body 10 from influencing the record of pen P, compelling complete integrity 'with the road-bed variations by neutralizing all car motions which are independent of the roadbed inequalities. In the Fig. 3 form of the invention there is provided a slot 80 in the lever 80, the purpose of which is to allow the pivot point to change its position on the lever 80 by the swinging of link This performs an important function in neutralizing the accumulated arallax of the levers or foreshortening o the indications when they swing either side of their true normal or vertical positions, thus preventing distortion in the indications and records of the true road-bed inequalities as to their exact lateral or cross levels.

The length of the unguided portion of cable 21 etween truck supported parts 1516 and car body is less than that of. cable-20. These lengths'bear approximately a true proportion to their respective distances from the pivotal center 12 of the truck 11.

This insures accuracy of indications when the truck 11 has been swivelled away from true alignment with the car body.

The clamps 100 for the bowden casings are for the double purposeof adjusting the I patent statutes, I have herein described the principle and operation of my invention, to- I gether with the apparatus which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof, but I desire to have it understood that the apparatus shown is only illustrative and that the invention can be carried out by other means. Al 0, whileit is'designed' to use the various fe tures and elements in the combination and relations described, some of these may be alteredIand others omitted without interfering with the more general results outlined, and the invention extends to such use. Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In an inspection device for detecting inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds, means whereby the surface diflerences are determined in different ratios with respect to a.

common base, an indicator, and means whereby said indicator is operated by the differ-' the said road bed.

2. In an ms ection device for detectmg 1naccuracies 1n t e surfaces of road beds, means ential of such ratios as the device passes along -whereby the surface differences are determined in different ratios with respect to a.

common spring-supported base, said means including non-resilient connections to said surfaces, an indicator,, and means whereby said indicator is operated by the differential of such ratios 'asthe device passes along said road bed. I

3.' In an inspection device for detecting inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds, means whereby the surface differences are determined in different ratios with'respect to a I common base, a swiveling truck, sa1d means including connections from said truck to saidv surfaces, said connections being positioned-at I difierent distances" from said swivel and of different lengths in proportion to said distances, an indicator, and means whereby said indicator is actuated by the difl'erentialmovements of said connections as said device passes along said road bed. I

4. In an inspection device for detecting inaccuracies in t line normally .forward and rearward journal boxes ree surfaces of road beds, means responsive to said inaccuracies, an indicator, means whereby said indicator is actuated by said first means, said first means including a plurality of swiveling levers, and means for neutralizing the distortion due to the angular positions of the levers between said road bed and said indicator.

5. In an inspection device for detecting inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds, means whereby the surface differences are determined in different ratios with respect to a common base, an indicator, and means whereby said indicator is operated by the diflerentlal of such ratios as the device passesalong clu ding a bowden wire connection'comprising an inner wire and a surrounding sheath.

6. In an inspection device for detectinginaccuracies in surfaces of road beds, means for indicating differences in elevation in a surface, said means including a bogy truck having on eachside two journal boxes responsive to differences in elevation of the said surface, a member connected to said-journal boxes and havingone end'extending beyond one of said boxes, and means connected to said member onopposite sides of one of the journal boxes and extending to said indicating means, and means whereby said'connections actuate said indicator differentially.

7. In an inspection device for detecting inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds, means for indicating differences in elevation in the surface, said means including a chart, means for driving said chart continuously in a longitudinal direction, a pen for recording on said chart, means for continuously oscillating said pen laterally of the chart, means responsive to differences in elevation in the surface, and means whereby said responsive means actuates said pen to vary the contour of the line normally traced by said pen.

8. In an inspection device for detectin inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds,

-means for indicating differences in elevation ously oscillating said pen laterally of the chart, means responsive to differences in, elevation in the surface, and means where-.1 by said responsive means actuates said pen longitudinally to vary the contour of-the H v traced by said pen. 3 -9. In an inspection device. for detecting inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds, said device. including a bogy truck having sponsive to difl'erences in elevation of the" surface, a member connected-to said journal boxes and having one'end extending beyond said boxes, a recorder, a pair of connections between said recorder. and spaced points on said member on'opposite sides of one of said in elevation in one surface, means responsive ,to differences in elevation in another surface, and means operated differentially by said first two means for indicating differences in elevation between said surfaces.

11.= In an inspection device for detecting inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds, in combination, means responsive to differences L in elevation in one surface, means responsive I to differences in elevation in another surface,

a lever pivotally and slidably mounted, said first two .means being attached to-the re- 4 spective ends of said lever whereby said.

lever is rocked only by difi'erentialmovements of said first two means, a recording pen, and means whereby rocking move-- ments of said lever actuates said pen. 12. In an lnspection devlce for detecting inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds, in

combination, means responsive to differences in elevation in one surface, means responsive to differences in elevation in another surface, a lever pivotally and slidably mounted, said first two means bein attached to the respective ends of said lever whereby said leveris rocked, only by differential movements of said first two means, a recording pen, and means whereby rocking movements of said lever actuates said pen, saidlastnamed means including a parallel motion 40 linkage.

said boxes, a traveling chart, a-pair of connections attached to each of said members on opposite sides of one of said journal boxes at each side to respond differentially to differences in elevation of the respective surfaces, and means operated by the differential movement of said two pairs of connections to indicate on said chart differences p in elevation between the two sides.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature.

ELMER A. SPERRY.

13. In an inspection device for detecting 1 inaccuracies in the surfaces of road beds, in combination, means responsive to differences in elevation in' one surface, means re- 4 sponsive to differences in elevation in another 'surfaqe a lever pivot-all and slidably mounted, said first two means eing attached to the respective ends of said lever whereby said lever is rocked only by differential movements of said first two means, a record ing pen, and means whereby rocking movements of said lever actuates said pen, saidlast-named means including a parallel motion linkage and means whereby said link- 55 age operates said pen, including a pivotal mounting for said pen and gyroscopic means for stabilizing the pivot thereof.

14. In an inspection device for detecting inaccuracies in the surfaces of road-beds,

0 said device including a bogy truck having forward and rearward journal boxes at each 1 side responsive to diflerencesin elevation in the respective surfaces, 3. member at each side connected, to the" journal boxes on that 65 side and having one end, extending-beyond 

